Taman Merak
Taman Merak is a large park situated at the Caraka Badiran village of Paterosari. Built in 1863, the park boasts a vast woodland area, the Taman Merak schools and library, some historical residential buildings, gardens, and a large pond. Taman Merak is one of three historical parks in Paterosari (along with Taman Gagak and Taman Kuntul) and the only public and fully functional park. The park was named so for the large population of green peafowl that nest in the area. The Flora and Fauna Taman Merak was built by Klaas de Haven in 1863 as a part of his effort in conserving the flora of West Java. The place was initially a forest with varied flora but epiphyte figs began to grow significantly sometime in the 1820s, which resulted in a vast colony of banyan trees (called beringin in Indonesian) in what is now the center of Taman Merak, twisted and curved into one seemingly large tree. Cultivars of the tree are planted in certain spots of the park, mainly at the entrance to provide shade. De Haven admired the beauty of the trees, noting their haunting quality and the locals’ reverence towards them, who believed that they are hosts of supernatural entities. In reality, the trunks of these trees became the nests of the native green peafowl, the animals which became the park’s namesake. This designated area is called Karaton Merak (which means ‘the peafowls’ palace’). The peafowls that inhabit the area are protected animals, considered sacred by the locals. Initially, the peafowls roamed freely, but because they were aggressive to people (and considering the park’s increasing usage by the townsfolk), fences were built in the 1960s. The rare, white peafowls are kept at a separate area by the residential area and caretakers assist in the feeding of these animals as well as the green ones. The peafowls are known to shriek at night, which would add to the haunting atmosphere of the Karaton Merak. The Residences The place became the location of the first house built by de Haven and his brothers, Kasper and Kobus de Haven, for their mother, Sara de Haven, and became known as Sarang Janda (meaning The Widow's Nest, originally called Het Weduwe’s Nest), a medium-sized manor which is now a museum for Paterosari's history, built in 1863. After the construction of this house, four other houses were built in the neighboring hamlets to house the other European settlers of Paterosari, which all happened to have a widow in each house. These houses became known as The Little Widows (De Kleine Weduwen; Janda Janda Kecil), with each house having its distinct name, style, and thematic colors. There are also other, newer houses in the park and several small houses for the caretakers of the park. The Institutions The widows that lived in Taman Merak founded The League of Hens (De Liga van Kippen; Liga Ayam Betina), which became The Paterosari League of Women (Liga Perempuan Paterosari or better known as LPP) in 1918. The Caraka Badiran School was built in 1918 by LPP, initially to accommodate colonials and children of mixed-descent, but allowed some children from privileged indigenous backgrounds to enroll by 1925. The construction of the schools were also paired with the founding of The Makuta Mutih Library (Perpustakaan Makuta Murih), which was managed by Arsala Asfa Al Masyhur as its first librarian. She was also one of the original founders of Paterosari, as well as its only Muslim woman founder. Meneer Bartel's Music School, founded by Bartel de Rouw and his wife, Josephina de Rouw, is located in the park. The Facilities The park is one of the most frequently used public places in Paterosari, considering its large size, various amenities, and the schools inside it (which boast cafeterias for the students, though they are open for the public). Several greenhouses and gardens are built as a part of the school’s science program, which are tended to by the park staff (though many students volunteer to work there as well) and the edible crops are sent to be processed in the schools’ kitchens, which has made the school quite self-sustaining in terms of consumption. Though the park lacks purely public eateries, there is a co-op store of mainly public servants that sell everyday food and supplies. There are several grass lawns mostly used by students to practice sports or for whenever there are certain events in addition to the basketball and tennis courts. There is a swimming pool opened for the public, but the pools are rarely used because of the coldness of the area, hence its more frequent usage in hotter seasons. This swimming pool was built in 1986, while there was an original swimming pool made in 1923. The original swimming pool collapsed of unknown reasons in 1974, which resulted in the drowning of several people. The collapse turned the swimming pool into a pond, which was then further modified by the government, who turned it into a fishing pond in 1982. The collapse continued, and the area became quite a large pond until it stopped collapsing in 1998, at which point the pond had gained a large attraction of local fauna and simply became a pond. The Makuta Mutih Library is situated in this park, as well as Meneer Bartel's Music School, founded by Bartel de Rouw and his wife, Josephina de Rouw, one of the 'little widows'. Category:Places